To Hire a Heart
by FancyFantasy02
Summary: An annoyed Isabella wants to get rid her boss, who sexually harasses her. Her best friend,Rosalie, decides to help her and shows Bella the website that will change about everything…     E&B    little OCC    All Human    M for lemons!
1. Chapter 1

**SUMMARY - **_An annoyed Isabella want to get rid her boss who sexually harasses her. _  
><em>Her best friend Rosalie decides to help her, and shows Bella the website that will change everything…<em>  
><em> E&amp;B little OCC, <em>  
><em>AU<em>  
><em>M for lemons.<em>

**A/N** - Hello everyone!

This is my very **first** attempt at writing fanfiction. I really hope you will enjoy the story :)

_Huge amount thanks goes to my pre-readers **SofiaFanfiction** and **Katy (**_**MrsK81)** !  
>Also, a well-filled basket of thank you's to my wonderful Beta:<strong> AskTheMagic8Ball<strong>

**DISCLAIMER**_ - Obviously, I do not own anything Twilight. Everyone here knows who it belongs to __J__  
>I just own this storyline and these lovely characters.<em>

**_You can find me on twitter! (PearlFF02)  
>And also on facebook (Pearl FancyFantasy OhTwo)<em>**

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><p><strong>To Hire a Heart <strong>

Never before had I been so glad it was Friday. Talk about TGIF.

I was cursing at my shoes, the black pumps my friend Rosalie kindly picked up for me last week.  
>Finally, I arrived home and struggled to open the lock that secured my front door.<p>

My home was a nice, but small, studio-apartment with three rooms: my bedroom, bathroom, and the kitchen/living room combo. The location was perfect; I could easily walk to work. I couldn't really give a downside on my home. Maybe that it was upstairs from an Italian restaurant? But that didn't bother me. No, not at all. The owners of the Senza Nome were good friends of mine: Marcus and Aro Volturi. They were the nicest landlords anyone could imagine.

I opened the door and closed it behind me. As I ran up the stairs to my actual place, sounds from the television were coming down to meet me.

_I can't remember turning on the TV this morning._

Instead of being greeted by my cat, I was greeted by someone else today.

"Oh, there you are!" a female voice sounded as I shrugged off my dark blue trench coat and hung it up on the coat rack.

"Rose? What are you doing here?" I asked as I recognized the voice and head of my best friend, Rosalie Hale, who sat on her knees on my couch, facing me and gripping the back of it. I saw that Crisp, my cat, was lying casually on my windowsill. I walked over to her as Rosalie talked and stroked her little, fuzzy head.

"I finished my article early today. Thought my dead-line was this afternoon, but it was actually Monday afternoon, so I took the remaining time off," she explained.

I kicked off the evil high heels and felt my feet thank me in return.

"I can't see how you survive wearing shoes like that every single day," I muttered, realizing Rose was looking at me with an amused expression."

"Beauty is pain, my friend, " she laughed and stood up from the couch.

"Then you must have been very pained in the past," I answered and walked to my refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.

Rosalie and I had been friends since college. We ended up sharing an apartment close to university, but it wasn't friendship at first sight, at all. I saw Rose as a blonde bimbo with big boobs and no brains. She saw me as a boring stuck-up bitch who couldn't dress right to save her life. That last part had been a quotation from Rosalie herself. It turned out we were both wrong about a few things . I really couldn't dress right to save my life, and Rose did have big boobs.

Now, our friendship seemed unbreakable. We were opposites in a lot of ways, but we complimented each other perfectly. While I was the shyer one, Rosalie was really out-going and very social. I could cook as well as Rosalie could swear, and that sure meant something, and I had a feeling we both needed each other.

"You can't even begin to imagine, Bella." she said with a fake hint of drama.

"So, since you have no work to do you decided to break into my house and watch basketball on my television?" I asked her, enjoying the feel of the cold water as it glided down my throat.

"No." She seemed to think it over. "Yes, but not just for that! And plus, I didn't break into your house… I have a key, remember?" she said, putting her hands on her well-formed hips.

"That key was supposed to be for emergencies, not when a Knicks game is on." I winked at her and went for the couch.

"It's not a Knicks game. It's a Lakers one. And they won, but that doesn't matter now." She smiled widely, and I shook my head.

Rosalie was a total sports and car freak with the body of a model. She had been a lingerie model to make some money so she could pay for her education. And let's say that it is surprising how many guys remember girls from lingerie-ads…

"So, you had something to tell me?" I asked and closed my eyes while I let my head fall back against the softness of my couch.

I felt the cushion beside me shift, indicating Rosalie was next to me now.

"You better open those eyes, because I've got news for you," she announced mysteriously.

When I opened my eyes, I could see the dreamy look on her face. One I didn't know that well actually, because I had only seen it once before.

"Rose?" I questioned her, causing her eyes to shift back into focus.

"Hmm?" She raised one eyebrow at me.

"Are you… seeing someone?" I asked her.

"I'm not really seeing someone," she said sadly. "But…I just met him the other day, so I can't have the highest expectations," she told me honestly.

"Really? Oh my God! Why didn't you tell me that?" I asked, a little disappointed

"It's just that I don't really know what to think. He's super friendly, wonderfully charming, and oh so freakily handsome," Rosalie mused.

"Well, I have to say that sounds very promising. Handsome and friendly you say? That's hard to find!" I told her, meaning every word I said.

"Who's the lucky guy then, Rose?" I asked.

"His name is Royce King, and he's a banker. I met him the other day at a hotdog stand in the park!" She said like it was such a nice place to meet a man.

"At a hotdog stand?" I asked her, doubt indicated in my voice.

"Yeah, I ordered a hotdog and then I realized I'd left my wallet at the office when I'd gone in to drop some things off. He was standing in line behind me, and you know what he did Bella?" Rosalie didn't even leave me some time to think, because she filled in her question right away.  
>"He paid for it! For a fucking hotdog!" Her enthusiasm was amusing to me, and I laughed. "What?" she asked, a frown showing on her face.<p>

"Nothing, you're just cute when you're this star-struck", I told Rosalie, and she smiled in response to my words.

"Oh well, enough about me for now!" She changed the subject. "How was work today?"

"Tiring, my feet are killing me, but it was nice, until 9 am. Then, Mr. I-like-to-ruin-Bella's-day-and-make-her-vomit made my mood shift completely. Just thinking about it makes me feel like vomiting or stabbing the guy with something painful and ridiculously sharp-edged." I sighed as Rosalie made a face.

"That bad?" she asked me.

"Yes! I mean, I had to have a little briefing with him at 9 am**"I've been covering for Angela as she hasn't been at work for a week. So, I had to have a briefing with him this morning at nine." **rosalie nodded, indicating I could continue my little story.

"So we were sitting in his office and going over the authors I would be seeing that day and the rest of the schedule and all, and suddenly, he accidently," I made air quotations. "knocked over a tin of paperclips onto the floor." I stopped there, leaving some time for Rosalie to think about what might've happened.  
>"And?" she asked, indicating she wanted me to go on.<p>

"Out of manners I crouched down and picked them up for him- since he's still my boss and all. And ugh, he was looking at my ass, and then slapped it," I said, disgust showing on my face.

"Dirty fellah he is. M_otherfucker_. Who the fuck does he think he is?" She made, her eyes burning with rage.  
>"You should sue him, you know?" she said.<p>

I groaned. "But he's my boss, and I really don't want to lose my job just in case I'm overreacting, Rose." I explained to her, like I'd done before.

"I know that, sweetie, but do you think my boss is spanking my ass? If he was, then he would obviously think it was within his rights or something he could get away with, so in a sense, he would find it normal. The answer to both of those questions is no. Just saying you know? He can't have that power over you, Bells." she said. Whenever the subject of Mike Newton came up, I recognized the caring person Rosalie could be.

I knew what Mike did wasn't really normal or even legal. It really was sexual harassment, and it had become more and more frequent since day one.

It all began very innocently at first, with Mike winking at me and casually letting his hands graze mine whenever he handed me something. But in the seven months since I'd started working at Weber and Newton Publishing House, it had worsened, and now Mr. Newton was grabbing my goodies.

"Maybe I should just talk to him about it? Or to Angela?" I proposed, thinking that once I talked to Mike about the matter he would keep it in mind that I was most definitely not flattered with his actions, "and if he just continued acting the same he would receive a nice letter from my lawyer letting him know just how much I didn't like it."

"Yeah, if you don't want to take immediate action, I'd choose Angela, and then she can talk about it with Mike himself. She's as high in the company hierarchy as he is, so perhaps he'll take it better and more seriously when it comes from her," Rosalie said.

I nodded and told her about the bright parts of my day, about the various authors who had come into Angela's office and talked to me about their projects and dreams. Deciding whether a writer can be published at our firm or not has to be a very difficult thing to do. At least, that's what I learned after interviewing authors for a week. It wasn't up to me whether a story could be published or not. I carefully organized every author's file containing the interview itself and various other information and placed them on Angela's desk. She'll have her hands full when she returned.

My stomach growled, and Rosalie turned her attention from a magazine to the lime green watch she wore on her left wrist.

"Time flies, it's eight already",she announced. "What about dinner? Sounds like your stomach would agree with me," she joked and put the magazine down onto my coffee table.

"That sounds about right. Should I make something for us?" I asked her, secretly hoping she wouldn't say yes, because I had a feeling my cabinets were about as empty as a school classroom ten seconds after the bell rang.

"You already did that twice this week. I don't want to make you buy all your food just for me," she said, smiling. "What about Italian? I haven't seen Marcus and Aro for a while."

I didn't need to think about it; I just nodded at her and stood up from the couch.

"Okay then, let's go!" Rosalie announced.

She slid her feet back into the cream platform pumps that were thrown across my fuzzy carpet and slung her handbag over her right shoulder.

"Just let me give Crisp her dinner, and I'm ready to go," I said, walking over to the kitchen to grab the box of kitty food in the cupboard underneath the sink.

As I filled her bowl with jelly-coated fish, Rose brought my drained bottle of water back into the kitchen to throw in the bin.

"And just like that, dinner is served! If it only were that easy for humans to cook!" Rosalie said, sounding like she actually meant it.

"I never said you couldn't try one of these, Rose," I joked, holding up the empty aluminum can.

"Oh, Bella, I couldn't even eat that if I tried. It smells repulsive!" She stuck out her tongue as she relived the one time I almost made her eat cat food on April Fool's Day, but she tossed it in the garbage as soon as the smell hit her.

"Right," I laughed.

"Ready now? Come, my friend, dinner's on me!" Rose exclaimed and walked over to my door.

I didn't even bother to get my coat, as the restaurant was just downstairs. I got my purse and followed Rosalie downstairs.

The restaurant was very cozy, the interior warm and inviting. Everything was carefully designed by our good friends Aro and Marcus. The left walls were coated with rich, beige wallpaper. The dark brown chandeliers were the only source of light in the room. On the right walls, the wallpaper was darker, an almost ashy-grey color in the same texture as the wallpaper on the left walls. The tablecloths were beige with beige-and-brown striped cotton napkins. Each table had a pot of red roses and a mini version of the brown chandeliers. It was very pretty overall.

As I closed the door behind me, Olivia, the hostess, showed up.

"Isabella, Rosalie! _Buonasera_!" She greeted and enveloped the both of us into a hug. Olivia was a woman of forty-three and Marcus' sister. Her skin was olive-toned, and she had brown eyes with green specks throughout. She had a petite body and rich brown hair cascading down her back.

"Hi! How are you Olivia?" I asked.

"Great! My husband and I had the most amazing anniversary yesterday. I am still astonished that he set everything up without my finding anything out!" she exclaimed, smiling broadly at the two of us.

"Oh, congratulations! I had no idea! How long have you guys been married?" Rosalie asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"Twenty years of ups and downs, my dear. Now, let me escort you to a table. I assume it's just the two of you for tonight?" she asked us, clasping her hands together in front of her body.

"Uhm, yes. It's just us tonight," Rosalie told Olivia.

"There are still a few free tables on the heated terrace. Marcus told me you guys love it there," she said, escorting us to our table through the restaurant. Almost every table was filled, and people were dining in serenity. Their dishes looked marvelous and made my mouth water.

We arrived onto the terrace. Even outside, it managed to be chic and cozy.

Olivia placed us at the first table in the left corner. We were sitting right underneath one of the heating lamps. Our hostess asked us if we already wanted something to drink. Rosalie ordered a vodka martini and I got a Manhattan.

"I'll be right back, going to the ladies," announced my blonde friend as she stood up. As Rosalie went to the bathroom, Aro came to talk to me, his dark hair slicked back, wearing his signature, expensive, well-polished shoes.

"Ah, my Bella! _Meroviglioso _to see you, my dear!" he greeted me, making the other table in the right corner turn their attention toward our table briefly.

"Oh hi, Aro. Nice to see you, too" I said, standing up to hug him.

"You're not alone I hope? Such a _bella ragazza _shouldn't have dinner alone!" he asked dramatically.

"No, no. I'm not alone, Aro. I'm with Rose tonight, but she's using the bathroom." I smiled at him, and he nodded in comprehension.

"Please do sit down, sweetheart." He motioned for me to sit down again as he leaned against the wall next to the table, putting his hands in his black dress pants.

"So how have you been? I heard from Marcus that you had some troubles with the hot water in the shower?" Aro asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, but he called someone for me the other day, and it's all fixed now." Smiling I put a strand of hair behind my right ear.

"Did you order anything yet?" he asked me, glancing at his Rolex watch.

"Just drinks, but not long ago," I explained.  
>Aro nodded.<p>

"Why who do we have here? Aro, how are you doing?" Rosalie came back from the bathroom greeting Aro in her own specific way: loud and very friendly.

"Well, well, if that's not the writing bombshell!" Aro and Rosalie gave each other a brief hug and then broke apart.

"Are those the Louboutin's you've been ogling for the longest time over there?" He pointed toward Rose's shoes. True, they looked sleek and expensive. But Louboutins? Weren't they like the Rolls Royce of woman's shoes?

"Oh, Aro, I wish they were, but no. I picked these up at a random shoe store, thought they looked the part for way less money." She smiled poorly.

"So, the girls came out to party?" I heard: Marcus' voice. He was the taller of the two, perhaps six feet tall. Marcus had dark brown hair that was currently ear-length and well-kept. His outfit matched Aro's with only one thing that was different. While Aro wore a royal blue shirt, Marcus was wearing a somewhat less attention seeking shirt: a pale yellow one. The both of them wore the same dark grey tie. In his hands, Marcus had a tray with our two drinks.

"Yes, we came to party. It's Friday night and with the two us it means girls' night." Rosalie smiled and toyed around with the napkin that lay in front of her.

"How come you didn't invite us then?" Marcus said with fake-shock and a dramatic hand over his heart. The four of us all laughed.

"I'll make it a bit clearer for you then, no dick's allowed. Literally or figurally." She winked at Aro and Marcus.

"Oh, then I will say no more," Marcus joked, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Now, I'll do what I'm paid for. Which is serving my sweet clients," he said.

"If I remember it right, then the vodka martini is for my sweetheart right here," he said as he put the iced drink in front of Rosalie, "and the Manhattan is for our dear Bella." He winked and placed it down.

"Thank you," we said to them.

"Oh Marcus," Rosalie said, like she just remembered something.

"Yes dear?"

"What about a shopping trip next Wednesday? It's been ages since we went out together!" she asked.

I joined in the conversation, which was rare for me when it involved shopping. "Yeah, we totally should. I need some new ballet flats. My last ones are all holey and shit," I said seriously, and in response, Rosalie, Marcus, and Aro started laughing.

Then, Aro placed his hands on my shoulders and bent his head so he could half-whisper in my ear. "Oh, Bella, you will come home with so much more than just a pair of basic ballet flats. You can be sure of that."  
>"Should I be scared now? Because if I should, you totally failed." I answered him bluntly, earning a smile from Rose.<p>

"No, just be prepared. That's all I can say. Because when my Aro wants something to be done, it's not over until it's actually done." Marcus winked at Aro.

"Okay, I really needed to know that," I joked sarcastically.

"So, I'll call you sometime this weekend then? Or I'll stop by when I'm at Bella's?" asked Rosalie, sipping from the square glass of vodka martini she ordered.

"Sounds great, can't wait!" said Marcus.

After that, our two friends went back to working again, and we chose our dishes. Olivia came to take our order, and I wished I had ordered a Coke instead of alcohol. My stomach was as empty as could be, and Bella and alcohol? I needed a full stomach to not be dancing on top of the table.

I gave Rosalie the rest of my drink and smiled at Olivia as she came to bring our plates. Steam arose from them, and the closer she got, the better we could smell the fresh food.

"Here you go, girls, enjoy!" Olivia announced as she put our plates in front of us.  
>Rosalie had gone for the pizza <em>Napolitano<em> , and for myself, I'd ordered a fresh _linguini_ _Al Fredo_.

"Gosh, this food is just orgasmic. I mean, have you ever felt this good eating a pizza?" Rosalie asked, cutting another piece of pizza and biting it.

"I know. It's like they put something in it… like drugs or something." I joked and twirled some linguini on my fork.

"Oh my God! Maybe they did! I should totally marry the guy who makes this food," she mused.

"Rose, Rose, Rose. We both know that Georgiana makes the food," I said matter of factly.

"Make your point already; my pizza is getting cold," she said, getting anxious to start eating.

"Georgiana is a woman, Rose?" And with that, Rosalie snorted.

"I'll tell you this, girlfriend. I'd go _lesbo_ for her, and you know I love sex. So when I'm offering to give up cocks and firemen fantasies, you know it's a big thing." She winked at me, and we both laughed.

We continued eating and enjoying our meals then and chatted away about all sorts of things. Rosalie told me all about Royce in detail. His hair, how it looked like a lion's mane –didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, his eyes which were hazelnut brown, and the way his suit fell around his form. From her description, he didn't sound like a broad man –which surprised me, because Rosalie tended to fall for muscles. She had given him her number, and he had promised to call her tonight.

After finishing our meal and drowning an entire bottle of red, I went to the bathroom while Rosalie was taking care of the bill. When I got back, Rosalie had a smug smile on her face, and she was clutching her white iPhone in her hands.

"What's up with the Mona Lisa smile, Da Vinci?" I asked her, laughing.

"He called me! I have a fucking date for tomorrow evening!" she squealed.

"Oh boy, fangirl phase already, Rose?" I laughed, and she playfully slapped my arm.

"Shut the fuck up, Isabella," she said. I stuck my tongue out.

We said our good-byes to the crew of Senza Nome and went back to my place.

Once we were there, I changed into some shorts and a tank top. Rosalie went to my bathroom, where she had left a pair of PJ's for herself, and also got changed. As she did that, I went over to the kitchen to find Crisp eating the jelly-kitten-goodness and made some popcorn for Rosalie and I.

Once we were settled on the couch with blankets and Coke, Crisp went hiding in the bedroom. Rosalie knew about my Ashton Kutcher weakness, so when she suggested _What Happens in Vegas_, of course I said yes!

Somewhere near the end of the movie, I felt myself beginning to drift to sleep. Rosalie had already passed out beside me, her head against the right armrest of the couch. I let my eyes slip close and felt myself glide away into a wonderful, dreamless sleep.

**That was it *awaits reactions*  
>Please let me know what you think! <strong>

**Reviews will make me smile :)**

**Ciao,  
>Pearl. <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

_**SUMMARY - **__**An annoyed Isabella wants to get rid her boss who sexually harasses her. **_

**_Her best friend Rosalie decides to help her, and shows Bella the website that will change everything…_**  
><strong><em>E&amp;B little OCC, <em>**  
><strong><em>AU<em>**  
><strong><em>M for lemons.<em>**

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><p><em><strong>AN** - Hello everyone!_

_This is my very **first** attempt at writing fanfiction. I really hope you will enjoy the story :)_

* * *

><p><em>Shower of thank-you's go to my Girly, <strong>SofiaFanfiction, <strong>who puts up with my thoughts**,** and the marvelous Miss **Katy (****MrsK81)**!  
><em>

_Also, a well-filled basket of thank you's to my wonderful Beta:** AskTheMagic8Ball, who is cool enough to know the concert years of Alice in Chains! **_

_**_I'd be lost without you all, warriors of punctuation and commas :)_**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>DISCLAIMER<strong> - Obviously, I do not own anything Twilight. Everyone here knows who it belongs to J_  
><em>I just own this storyline and these lovely characters.<em>

_**You can find me on twitter! (PearlFF02)  
>And also on facebook (Pearl FancyFantasy OhTwo)<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Please review, it makes me go all smiley at my computer screen :)<strong>_

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><p><strong>To Hire a Heart ~Chapter Two.<strong>

The next morning I woke up with a sore feeling in my neck. I lifted my head and took in the surroundings.

My best friend, Rosalie, was still sleeping soundly next to me on the maroon fluffy couch, lying in the fetal position, her blonde hair all over the place.

I sat on the edge of the cushions and stretched my limbs.

_Seems like Sleeping Beauty won't be making breakfast anytime soon._

I decided to make us some toast and coffee, but I wanted to take a quick shower first. I tried not to wake Rosalie as I walked over to my bedroom where I found Crisp sprawled across my bed, softly snoring. Smiling, I stroked her soft fur and she wiggled her ears, indicating she was awake.

Grabbing fresh underwear, a pair of yoga pants, and a long, blue sweater, I walked over to my bathroom where I brushed my teeth and hopped in the shower. I decided against washing my hair, so I piled it up on top of my head with a hair-tie.

After about five minutes of soap bubbles and hot water, I dried off and got dressed, brushed my hair, and applied some mascara. Then I went back to my kitchen, passing Rosalie who was still asleep on the couch. I shook my head and smiled at her innocent expression that somewhat resembled that of an angel.

In the kitchen, I grabbed the loaf of homemade bread out of the freezer and pre-heated my oven.

As the bread rested on a Mickey Mouse plate, I sliced a couple of oranges and pressed juice for Rosalie and me. When the ding indicated the oven was ready, I put five slices of the bread into my oven to grill them.

I walked over to the living area again and leaned my elbows on the backrest of the couch, feeling the plushy pillows sink because of the weight.

"Rose? Can you wake up?" I asked softly.

She stirred and turned her head, her hair covering her face.

"No-oh," she whined childishly.

"Oh, come on. It's nearly a quarter past ten. Get off your lazy ass, my friend," I called, and walked back to the kitchen once more to turn on my espresso machine.

"Do you have coffee?" Rosalie croaked, because she had just awakened

"Do you think I'm nuts? Of course I have coffee. It's pouring as we speak," I said, slightly annoyed by her lazy behavior.

She mumbled something, and I heard what I assumed was the bathroom door close. A couple of minutes later, Rosalie entered the kitchen. I was sitting at the small round table with toast and orange juice. She still looked tired.

Not saying a word, she walked over to the espresso machine in the corner, next to the cookie cabinet, placed a cup underneath it, and pushed the button. The noise of the coffee machine filled the room, and I frowned at her.

"Good morning to you, too," I mumbled, sipping my coffee and taking another bite of my buttered toast.

"Sorry, good morning," she said, taking the filled cup in her hands and sitting down on the opposite chair.

"Is something wrong, Rose? You're being extremely grumpy this morning," I asked as Rosalie put a slice of cheese on top of a piece of toast.

"It's just shitty. I've got a date tonight." She looked away from my eyes as she bit into the toast. "And I'm on my period. Whoopee!" she ended sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes.

"So what? You planned on sleeping with the guy already? What about your usual hard-to-get technique?" I asked her, putting my elbows on the table and cradling my mug of coffee.

"No, but it's… I don't know okay. I just don't want this evening to be awkward," she said.

"As long as your mood improves, you'll be fine," I told her, finishing my glass of orange juice.

"I know, I'm a moody bitch. I'm sorry, Bella, and thank you for the breakfast." She smiled at me.

"It's okay," I said, standing up to put my plate and glass in the sink. "And you're welcome." I smiled.

As Rosalie finished off her breakfast and coffee, I made a list of things I had to go and get from the grocery store. My cabinets seemed to be almost empty, so mister wallet wouldn't be very pleased with all the things I'd have to buy.

When I was in the bathroom checking the cupboard underneath the sink to see if I still had enough shampoo and shower gel, Rosalie appeared, leaning against the doorpost.

"You should get a box of tampons too. Kinda used your last one," she admitted, scratching her head and smiling at me.

Her mood seemed to have lightened already, which made me happy.

"Why thanks, Rosalie," I grumbled and added it to my list.

Don't get me wrong, I liked having Rose around, but she always seemed to be here and never at her place. She rarely called me to ask if she could come over. She just expected me to be home and have no other plans. It was like she thought I had no life at all.

_Wait, Bella, you don't actually have much of a life besides being at work or home or browsing libraries and reading books… So much for the exciting life._

I decided to bite my tongue for the time being and continued to make a list of the things I needed.

"I'm going to head out now. I have an interview at one this afternoon, and I still need to do some finishing touches to my questions and print it out and stuff. I'll call you later, okay?" She checked her watch, and I nodded.

"Have a good time tonight," I said. She shouted something that resembled _you bet_, and I heard the front door close.

I sighed deeply and felt angry at myself for again not telling Rosalie what I thought about this whole situation. Maybe it would improve if she and Royce became a couple. I yawned and stood up from the edge of my bathtub and put the note on the sink. Then I walked over to my bedroom and grabbed a pair of taupe boots to wear to the store.

I grabbed my purse, and keys, coat, and headed to my car which was parked in the lot of Senza Nome. It was a luxury my friendship with the owners provided.

The store wasn't far away. I only had to drive about ten minutes before arriving at Clearwater's. I made sure to grab the re-useable bags from my trunk and headed toward the entrance. The weather was decent today, although I was glad I'd put on my coat.

_At least it isn't raining_

I grabbed a cart and walked my way through the store, greeting Sue and Seth while doing so. Sue was a fifty-something woman who was currently running the store with her son, Seth, and daughter, Leah. Her husband died two years ago following a heart-attack; it was a great loss for them.

When my cart was as good as full, and I could cross almost everything on my shopping list, I decided to treat myself to a new CD.

I neglected my cart and walked over to the CD racks.

A couple was standing in front of the massive headphones where you could listen to some of the songs on sale and were discussing some album very professionally.

"I'm telling you, they changed their bass player. It sounds much deeper than before," said the blond man.

He wore grey distressed jeans, a casual light blue shirt, and loosely laced boots. He looked rather good as did the woman he was with. She was small, much smaller than my five feet four inches. She had black hair which reached her shoulders with a yellow scarf tied into it. Her style was uncomplicated and simple, yet different at the same time. She wore a grey oversized silk blouse, opaque navy blue tights which had little anchors sewn into them, and grey wedges.

I heard her laugh. "Oh, Jazz, you're such a geek." She walked over to a rack of new CD's, running her fingers over the backs of the little boxes as if she was looking for something.

I walked my way over to the letter N, where I planned on finding the Nirvana CD that was missing from my collection.

My eyes scanned the titles and artists, and I walked sideways, not looking around until I bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, biting my lip uncomfortably as I saw the black-haired girl from earlier drop a CD case to the ground.

"It's okay, it happens. Can happen sometimes." She smiled and bent down to pick up the CD she had dropped. It was an Alice in Chainsalbum. I had to admit, the girl had good taste!

I could see she was very attractive. She had delicate features and warm, sparkly grey blue eyes framed with thick black lashes and matching eyeliner. Her fine lips were shimmery, and she was smiling, revealing pearly white teeth.

"Haha, true. That's a nice CD you've got there," I said, pointing toward the case she held in her hands.

"Thank you! I love them too, as did my parents. They named me after them, because my mother got contractions at one of their concerts," she told me, still smiling.

"Wow, really? That's an amazing story! So your name is Alice then, I suppose?" I asked her, genuinely intrigued.

"Well, it is. Only not officially. They messed up at City Hall and switched my names, so I'm actually Mary Alice instead of Alice Mary. But look at me blabbering away! It's just Alice, sorry," she said, playing with the loose part of the scarf she wore in her hair.

"Oh that's complicated! Such a shame they made a mistake then, but cool you're named after a band! I'm Bella," I said, smiling at Alice.

"Bella, that's Italian I believe?" I nodded. "It's nice, pretty unique actually. Never heard it before," she said and started looking through some CD's again.

"Are you looking for something in particular? I noticed you were concentrating rather hard on finding something," she asked, clearly prepared to help me.

"Actually, I still need MTV Unplugged in New York by Nirvana. But I'm not sure they still sell it," I told her, really hoping they did.

Alice's eyes lit up, and she smiled broadly.

"No fucking way! My boyfriend bought one of those for me just last month!" she announced enthusiastically. "So there's no way in hell they won't have it anymore, although I don't know where he got it." She trailed off, looking in the direction of her boyfriend.

As if he felt her looking at him, he turned his head around, only to reveal an equally good-looking face. Then Alice waved to him and told him to come over.

"Jazz, this is Bella. Bella, Jazz." Alice introduced us to each other, and we shook hands.

Jazz's eyes were brown, a deep, muddy brown which complimented his dirty blond, wavy hair that reached his jaw line. He was a little bit tanned, had a slight five o' clock shadow like you see on some models for a jeans commercial, and sported a dazzling smile.

Alice told Jazz about my search for the Nirvana CD.

I found out he was in the music business, hence the professionalism of the talk I overheard earlier.

He said they didn't stock it here but offered to order me a copy from his own music store. He asked for my cell phone number so he could call me when he found one. I thanked him and gave him my number. Alice also asked if she could give me call so we could arrange to meet for a drink. She actually said she wanted to talk to the uniquely named girl with great taste in music.

We said goodbye, and I went back to where I had put my cart.

_Up to the till, then! _

Once I paid for my purchases, which was a three digit number, and loaded my stuff into the car, I brought back the cart and drove back.

After pulling in to my parking space, I opened my trunk and realized I wouldn't be able to take it upstairs in one trip. There was just too much stuff. My stomach started to growl, and I decided to make myself a nice bowl of chicken soup after I had put the groceries away.

After going to the car three more times, all my shopping goodies were situated on my little kitchen table and in the chairs around it. I put my purchases away and started preparing my soup when my phone rang.

_Incoming Call: Peter (work)_

"Peter, hi," I answered, putting him on speakerphone, so I could continue making my soup.

"Hey, Bella, how you doing?" Peter asked me casually.

Peter Rollins was the receptionist at Newton & Weber Publishing House and also one of my close friends.

"It's the weekend, so can't be better!" I exclaimed, and he laughed heartily.

"I know how you're feeling, Bells. Although this weekend isn't really time-off for me, unfortunately,"

I frowned.

"How come?" I stopped working on the soup since all the ingredients were present, and my pot was on the stove. I turned off the loud-speaker and walked around, finding Crisp underneath the bed.

"I messed up yesterday by forgetting to send the memos out. Newton was pissed and told me I had to do it over the weekend to make up for the slip," Peter huffed, and I heard papers shuffling around.

"Ugh, such a typical thing for him to do. The jerk. What was so important about those memos?" I asked him, luring my kitten from under the bed.

"I had to give everyone an invitation for the launch party of The Book Booth. You know, that new project Newton was on?"

Crisp jumped onto my lap, and I scooted farther up the bed, leaning against the headboard as I stroked her silky fur with my free hand.

"Oh, the book café? I know the man is a straight-up asshole, but I've got to admit he has a nose for business," I said.

The Book Booth was indeed a new project the firm had been working on. It would be a library and bookstore with an onsite in the middle of downtown Seattle. It was a heck of an idea, and the firm would probably earn a lot of money because of it.

"Exactly, that one. So the entire place is read, and the opening party is next Friday. The invitations were meant to be handed out yesterday or even before. For that, I guess I can't really complain I lost my weekend off," he laughed, humorlessly.

"Oh well, there are fifty two weekends in a year, Peter; I'm sure you can make up for it." I smiled as Crisp did the whole fluttering with her ears, which was adorable.

"You can say that. Char isn't all that happy with me working all day though. I bet I'll have to make it up to her too, not that I mind," he said smugly.

A little wave of jealousy crept over me as I thought of their love.

_They are so damn lucky. _

I brushed the feeling away and continued our conversation. I learned that Peter had to call all the members of the firm's staff personally and had to ask if they could attend the opening party. To be completely honest, I wasn't keen on going. But since I was Angela's assistant, I was almost obliged to go.

The thing was, I knew Mike would try something, and he could become quite dangerous when he drank alcohol. And of course, champagne would be a part of the celebration.

I couldn't really ask Rosalie to go with me, could I?

_They' might think Rose and I were a thing, may be good to pretend to be a lesbian. Wouldn't Mike leave me alone then?_

I tossed that idea away immediately, deciding he was probably one of those guys who found the idea of two girls being together very hot, then we both would have trouble with him.

No, bringing Rose was not an option.

_But who could I bring, then?_

* * *

><p><strong><em>so, so! We're getting closer and closer into meeting our mystery plus-one!<em>**

**_Please, send me a review, as I said it makes me smile (: and write faster ;)_**

******_Thanks for your time n.n_**

**_You are all wonderful! _**

**_Still reading?_**

**_Wow._**

**_I love you =)_**

**_And you, too ;)_**

**_Okay, I'll stop! _**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey my sweets!**

**I am really sorry to inform you all that this isn't a new chapter, but a quick message to explain a couple of things.**

**Right now, I'm having Christmas Exams which are really important to me and also to my family. This means that time for writing is extremely limited to impossible, but I do try to do whatever I can to write a bit in my breaks or when I am waiting to do an oral exam at school.**

**I know that I haven't been uploading new chapters for a while now, that was due to preparations and extra lessons I took for my German class and for Business. **

**I'm really sorry, and I just hope I don't have any re-tries for any of my exams, so my holiday can be spend writing, reading and writing :)**

**I hope you won't stop reading my things just because I wasn't able to update for that while.**

**And I will try to write down a sort of schedule, figure out on what days in the week I can update the best for all my stories. I'm sure you would find that helpful?**

**For 'Edward Cullen, the ballerina stalker', there is a banner. You can find that on my facebook page (Pearl FancyFantasy OhTwo).**

**If you want to get in touch with me, or have any questions regarding the stories, please feel free to contact me through facebook or twitter (Pearlff02). You can also e-mail me if you'd like, via pearlff02(at)**

**Thank you for taking time to read this :)**

**I love every single reader of my work, also if you don't review ;)  
><strong>

**Love!**

**Pearl x **


	4. Chapter 4

I was planning on posting a whats-up-with-me-post.  
>But basically what happened was me having a terrible relationship that was kind of abusive. I couldn't go on the computer, he kept my cellphone hostage...<br>I finally was able to get rid of him, it took a lot of time and strength.  
>I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting :( I hope everyone who read this story will continue to do that?<p>

I love you, and finally I am back ...

Love,  
>Pearl<p>

If you have any questions regarding my story, please don't hesitate to ask.

You can also add me on facebook (Pearl FancyFantasy Oh Two)


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